Face the Truth
by I'llWriteMyOwnKaiMei
Summary: As usual I suck at naming things (sry) This is just a short oneshot that is pure kaimei fluff. Miku's only in it for like one short little part. I'm sorry if it's terrible lol. K plus cause Meiko says the D word


It was the beginning of freshman year. Junior High had just ended and I was forced into this new school. It was nothing like my old school; it was practically a maze, I couldn't find any of my classes, nor my locker that I was assigned. The halls smelled weird and the bathrooms were never clean like my old school. I just wanted to go back… Or so that's how I felt at the time. I was only there for a week, so it seems silly now that I was almost so quick to give up. I probably never _would_ have gotten through it if it hadn't been for the single greatest person I ever had the chance to meet and know. She was a girl. We met early on in grade-school, I was of course extremely shy around her at first, but she didn't stand for it *haha.* I was lucky enough to go to the same high school as her, but unlucky enough to get classes, though it's probably for the best; I would've never been able to concentrate haha. She's definitely the person who left the biggest mark on me. I wouldn't be who I am today if not for her teaching me the ways of life. You can say I had a thing for her… a very big thing, in fact. She was my idol; my mentor; my best friend; okay you got me ;^^ She was the single greatest thing to happen to me. She was the love of my life.

"Hey Meiko, wait up!"

Meiko had been used to this every day since those two met. He'd scream her name any time he'd see even a glimpse of her. She told him many times before it annoyed her, but he continues to do it no matter how many times she tells him.

"Oh hey, Kaito…"

"You're just going to walk past me without saying hi…?" His faced was scrunched as she looked sideways with his lips puffed out as he sulked.

"You were all the way down the hall! How could I have known you were there?!" Meiko grumbled, sounding irritated at the nature of the question.

"Well that's okay, I guess. Hey, do you want to go get some ice cream later? I hear our place got in a new flavor and I've been DYING to try it out, and I can only do it properly with my mei-chan by my side. So pleeease please can we go?" Kaito pleaded.

"You know, if we keep hanging out like this, people are going to start assuming we're dating or something"

"Is that so wrong?" Kaito asked smugly. Kaito watched Meiko walk away and laughed knowing she would be at their usual meeting spot regardless of what people think of them.

Xxx

"You idiot! You're late! You actually had me thinking you weren't going to show up this time."

"I know, I'm sorry… I got kind of held up."

Meiko huffed figuring it was just some girl again begging him for his phone number like always. "Okay, whatever. Let's just go"

Kaito was surprised. He thought he'd have to start pleading for forgiveness with how adamant she usually was about lateness.

They came up to the stand, "Two vanilla cones, please!"

They began walking with their cones, Kaito giving it a thorough lick each time they felt it dripping. Meiko didn't seem like her normal self though. Something seemed… off.

"Hey, Mei?" Kaito asked in a soft tone

"Huh?" Meiko said with a surprised tone

"Your ice cream is melting all over your hand…"

"Oh, heh, so it is…" She gave a slight smile downward

"What's the matter, Mei?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about me."

"Yeah, I'm not going to worry about my best friend" he said sarcastically.

"Okay… well… uhm… I guess I have a question." She was beginning to sound bashful, which was totally out of character. Meiko's usually one to stay strong no matter what. "So, a friend of mine…" She chuckled. "A friend of mine came up to me earlier and said she liked someone but didn't know how to go about showing it. She's also scared he doesn't like her back and that she'll be shattered into a million pieces if he doesn't feel the same way. What would you recommend for her?" She hoped Kaito would be too dense to know who she was _really_ talking about.

"Hmm… Well, how long have they known each other?"

"Uhm… A long time, I think. I'm not sure really." Meiko replied nervously

"Are they well-acquainted?"

"I think so? Or at least from what I've seen I think they are." Meiko sounded as if she were questioning herself.

"Well, if you ask me, she should just know."

Meiko seemed confused with his answer. "How should she be expected to just _know_?" Meiko asked angrily

"Well, Mei, there's a big difference between guys and girls. Girls are the most confusing organisms in the universe. No one can tell what they're thinking or feeling at any given time, not even themselves. But men, men are pretty simple. When a man looks at a woman, you can see the love in his eyes. Some women are blind to it, but if it's there, and you take the time to find it, it's clear as day."

Meiko just stood there both speechless and breathless at the same time, with a slight tint of red brushed on her cheeks. That was the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard leave his mouth. But how was she able to tell? Nothing to her was clear as day. All she knew was that she had a loyal friend, who was more like a canine companion, to be honest. She admired his loyalty and felt most of the time that she took it for granted.

"So what took you so long meeting up with me earlier?" Meiko tried to switch topics as quickly as possible.

"Oh that?" Kaito laughed "It wasn't important."

"Well it was important enough to be late, now wasn't it?" Meiko retorted

"Man, I knew I you went too easy on me earlier" He chuckled

A small silence began to grow

"…Mei?" Kaito asked softly

Meiko twitched at the sound of his voice, but the charming tone left a pink dust spread along her cheeks.

"…Wh-What is it?" Meiko answered nervously.

"If a guy asked you out, what would you say to them?"

"P-PARDON ME?" Meiko seemed very flustered by the question

"You're smart, strong, beautiful, unique, and everything a guy would love. It's bound to happen sooner or later. What would you say?" Kaito asked looking only at Meiko seeming as if they were the only two people present.

"Well… uh… UGH, Idiot, why do you have to ask such questions so suddenly?!"

She began to rage off as she dumped her unfinished cone in the nearest trash can, making Kaito sob just a little bit on the inside.

Meiko stopped, trying to muster an answer. She turned around as she finally collected herself.

"Well… it would depend, Kaito. I wouldn't say yes to just anyone. I'm well aware of my worth, and I'm not about to waste my time trying to please anyone I don't want. So in other words, if I deem them worthy of me, and me of them, then I'd undoubtedly say yes."

Kaito paused for a moment to register her answer and gulped loudly as if he'd wanted to respond. Meiko then became stunned as she heard the next set of words leave his mouth.

"What about me?" Kaito asked softly with a hint of doubt in his tone

Meiko froze.

"Wh-What did you say?"

"What if I was the one to ask you out? What if I was the one to declare that I've been in love with you since the moment I saw you? What if I was the one who promised to always take care of you, to keep you safe, and comfort you when you fall? What would you say if it was me?"

Meiko couldn't think of anything to say. She just stood there frozen, seemingly trying to hold back what seemed to resemble tears as she trembled. Was it anger? Was it disbelief? Kaito was scared, but didn't avert his gaze looking as if he demanded some sort of response. The silence made him increasingly worried.

She had lost the ability to hold back the tears. She quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve as she let out a slight response, which wasn't quite the response Kaito had hope for.

"I—I have to go." Meiko ran off.

Kaito stood there watching her as his cone dripped into his hand. He had no desire to eat the rest of it. Tears began to scurry along his cheek, which he wiped as to pretend they never existed. He proceeded to throw the rest of his ice cream in the trash. 

_She hates me… I knew it. How could I be so stupid?_ The naïve teenager thought to himself. _She's too good for me. I should've known from the start. All I am is an idiot, just like she's always said I am. She's always been right. About everything. Every time she called me worthless, every time she insulted me, it stung a little, but I took it so lightly. Man I'm such an idiot… She must hate me even more now._

All he could do was repeat these thought in his head as he leaned against the wall and cried. It didn't take very long for his knees to grow so weak on him as to fall to the floor. He just felt broken, like he'd just lost everything he'd built up thus far. The only woman he's ever loved seemingly rejected him. He didn't want to face school tomorrow, he didn't want to face the world, and most of all, he didn't want to face Meiko…

Meiko unwillingly went to school the next day. She definitely didn't want to go; especially if there was the possibility of running into _him._ She did her best to avoid everyone that day. Not that she was mad, but she just had so many mixed emotions, she didn't know what she was capable of. Her mind just kept returning to the events from the day before.

 _Ugh he's SUCH an idiot… Why would he ask me such a stupid question? What made him feel it was okay to just blurt out such a thing?_

Thinking about it just burned her up on the inside. Maybe she _was_ angry, but to be honest, she didn't really know exactly what she was feeling. She'd always had such a strong character, she never thought something this stupid could fluster her so much. And she _definitely_ couldn't explain the tears. Why did she cry? Did what he said upset her in some way? She really wasn't so sure…

After wandering around for a good chunk of the day, she realized she hadn't bumped into Kaito _anywhere._ That was fairly unusual as he'd never missed a day of class and she'd usually hear his unusually peppy voice yell down to her from down the hall, even just to say hi. She was slightly worried, but her emotions kept her from worrying an immense amount. She figured he might just be hung up somewhere, or maybe there's another girl asking him out somewhere, as he was quite popular with the ladies.

Her last period of the day was gym class, and one of her classmates happened to be Kaito's younger sister Miku Hatsune. Meiko didn't really talk to her all that often, but would sometimes ask her questions if something seemed off with Kaito.

"Hey Miku?" Meiko awkwardly began to approach the teal, twintailed girl.

"Oh… Hi." Miku brushed her off.

"Uhm… Can I ask you something?" Meiko asked nervously, as she could tell Miku was trying to keep a distance.

"What do you want, Meiko?" Miku sounded irritated

"Did Kaito come to school today? I haven't seen him today and I was wonder-"

"JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE." Miku seemed furious

"Pardon me?" Meiko seemed confused

"You heard me. Just Let. Him. Be. Got it? You've already done enough damage… I always knew you were cold, but to do something like that to my brother, someone with a heart as pure as his… You don't deserve to have anything to do with him. Or me, for that matter. Now if you'll excuse me-" Miku proceeded to the other side of the gymnasium.

 _Meiko's heart sunk._

"He didn't come to school because of _me?_ Is he in distress because of _me? How could I be so dense?"_

Meiko was normally a student who abided by every rule possible at school, but she _had_ to get out of class. She _had_ to get out of school. She had to make sure, right then, that Kaito was okay. She never meant to hurt him. How stupid can someone be to just blurt something out like that and expect a normal reaction? She'd always thought about him as a possible love interest, but she'd never thought there'd be a day where she'd learn _he_ was going through the same thing. She never even considered it since he was so popular, he had so many options. Why her? Why her of all people? She'd lied when she told Kaito of her self-worth. She admires Kaito more than anyone in the world. He's a sweet, caring, kind, warm-hearted, lively individual, containing every characteristic she wished she had in herself. She'd always viewed herself as cold, how can anyone be in love with someone as cold as her?

She snuck into the hallway, then quietly exited the school, not thinking nor caring of her consequences the next day. She _had_ to see Kaito. She had to swallow everything and be honest with him for the first time in her life. 

_BANG BANG BANG_

Kaito heard three distinct slams against his door. He's almost never home alone, so he didn't really know what to do other than cower in fear. That is until he heard:

"OPEN UP IDIOT! IT'S ME"

He could tell that voice anywhere. He also knew he'd been fearing hearing that voice all day. He sat there for a moment trying to be as silent as possible. Maybe she'd think there's no one home…"

 _BANG BANG BANG_

"KAITO! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE. OPEN UP THE GOD DAMN DOOR."

She banged a few more times until the bangs became gradually softer and Kaito could hear a soft whimper coming from the other side.

"Kaito… Please open the door" Her voice was shaky, sounding as if she'd break at any moment

"I'm sorry. I'm truly, deeply sorry. I'm sorry for the way I treat you, I'm sorry for lying to you, I just want to tell you to your face so you understand that you deserve a friend so much better than me. _I'm_ the one not worthy of _you._ So can you _please_ just open the door so I can just tell you…"

Kaito could hear her sobbing. He felt absolutely terrible. He didn't mean to make her feel this way. How _could_ he make her feel this way? She absolutely _hated_ him. Or so he thought…

Meiko watched the door slowly open as she saw her doofus best friend standing in front of her, eyes swollen obvious that he'd been crying since the night before.

Her heart dropped yet again.

"Kaito" She pleaded his name with tears continuously streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry… Everything I've ever told you has been a lie. I'm a horrible friend. I love when you yell hi to me at the top of your lungs from across the crowded hall, I love meeting you after school every day and getting ice cream, I love seeing you smile even when I say something mean to you, I love when you just watch me as I speak. It's as if you can see into my soul as if you're analyzing every part of me. "

" _I don't want to lose you, Kaito."_

Those last few words echoed a few times in his head, making sure he heard correctly. He froze at the sound of it. He then felt a huge force slam into his chest, as warmth wrapped around his whole body.

This was the first time Meiko had ever hugged him. He'd tried to hug her before, but she'd usually pull away as though she didn't want to be touched, which Kaito respected.

He grabbed his opportunity to comfort her and wrapped his arms around her as tight as they would go without causing harm. He didn't want to let her go, he _wouldn't_ let her go.

Meiko had seemed to calm down after a few moments and she pulled away slightly still in his grasp, but now with a small space between them.

"Kaito, you love me, don't you?" She knew the answer, but felt as though she needed a confirmation.

Kaito stared into her sparkling eyes still glistening from the tears, brushed back a few strands of her soft brunette locks and responded, "I always have."

"I can tell" she said as she gazed into his eyes. "Something about your eyes, I don't know why I couldn't see it before? It's so obvious now" She chuckled.

"Meiko, I know I'm an idiot. I know I'm a doofus who can't do anything right and makes you mad all the time… But I want to protect you. With everything in me, I promise you I will protect you and work my hardest to make you happy. I know I'm not worthy of you, but I need you in my life, Mei-chan. I do my best when I'm around you. You make me such a strong man, much stronger than I ever thought I could be. I want to continue growing strong, and maybe one day I'll be as strong as Mei-chan."

Meiko formed a small smile at his tiny speech.

"Kaito, have you ever kissed a girl before?"

Kaito jumped at this sudden question and began a somewhat nervous laughter

"Hehehe, no, not exactly… You ever, uhm… kissed a boy?"

"Nahhh, I haven't deemed one worthy quite yet." Meiko answered light-heartedly.

"Am I… I mean… Do you… uhm…"

Before he could get his sentence out, Meiko grabbed him by the back of his neck and slowly brought his lips to hers. It was definitely a weird feeling, and neither of them really knew what they were doing, but something about it just felt right.

She released his lips and they both looked at each other in the eyes. Both had a bright rosy glow plastered across their cheeks; Kaito's being slightly redder.

"I love you, Kaito…"

"I love you too, Meiko."


End file.
